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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Unmanned Vehicle Supervisor

💰 $80,000 - $140,000

OperationsAutonomous SystemsEngineeringDefenseLogistics

🎯 Role Definition

The Unmanned Vehicle Supervisor leads day-to-day operations, safety, and technical readiness for unmanned platforms (UAVs, UGVs, USVs). This role supervises vehicle operators and technicians, manages mission planning and execution, enforces regulatory and company safety policies, and drives continuous improvement in autonomy, payload integration, and data capture. The Unmanned Vehicle Supervisor is a hands-on leader who balances operational tempo, maintenance throughput, and mission assurance while collaborating with engineering, compliance, and customer teams.

Primary SEO keywords: Unmanned Vehicle Supervisor, UAV Supervisor, UGV Supervisor, drone operations manager, unmanned systems lead, autonomous vehicle operations, mission planning, vehicle safety officer.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Unmanned Vehicle Operator / Remote Pilot
  • Systems Technician or Field Service Technician for autonomous platforms
  • Aircraft/Drones or Robotics Engineer (entry-level)

Advancement To:

  • Unmanned Systems Operations Manager
  • Director of Autonomous Operations
  • Program Manager — Autonomous Systems or Robotics

Lateral Moves:

  • Mission Planning Lead
  • Field Operations Manager
  • Payload Integration Lead

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Lead and supervise daily unmanned vehicle operations, coordinating team schedules, vehicle assignments, and mission tasking to meet program objectives while maintaining 100% regulatory and safety compliance.
  • Develop, review, and enforce standard operating procedures (SOPs), checklists, and emergency response plans for pre-flight/pre-deployment checks, in-mission contingency actions, and post-mission debriefs.
  • Manage a multi-discipline team of pilots/operators, maintenance technicians, and payload specialists; conduct performance reviews, mentor junior staff, and maintain training records aligned with company and regulatory requirements.
  • Serve as the accountable authority for airworthiness/operational readiness of each platform prior to launch or deployment, authorizing or cancelling missions based on risk assessments and system health.
  • Coordinate and execute mission planning including route design, sensor/payload configuration, communications and command-and-control (C2) validation, weather analysis, NOTAM/airspace deconfliction, and risk mitigation for each operation.
  • Oversee maintenance workflows and preventive maintenance schedules; prioritize and allocate spare parts and repair resources to sustain mission availability and reduce mean time to repair (MTTR).
  • Maintain and manage mission logs, maintenance logs, anomaly reports, and lessons-learned databases; ensure accurate documentation for audits, customer deliverables, and continuous improvement.
  • Lead investigations into anomalies, mishaps, and safety events; develop corrective action plans, update procedures, and deliver training to prevent recurrence.
  • Integrate and validate new payloads, sensors, and firmware updates with engineering teams; coordinate acceptance testing, calibration, and field validation before operational use.
  • Manage communications and telemetry network resilience planning, frequency management, encryption standards, and fallback C2 procedures for lost-link scenarios.
  • Oversee compliance with national and international regulations (e.g., FAA Part 107/COA/BVLOS approvals or equivalent), export control, and company policies; prepare documentation and liaise with regulatory authorities as required.
  • Prepare and present operational briefings, mission after-action reports, and capability demonstrations for internal stakeholders, customers, and senior leadership.
  • Coordinate logistics for field deployments including transportation of vehicles and payloads, site selection, range clearance, ground support equipment, and contractor/vendor management.
  • Implement and monitor cybersecurity and data integrity practices for unmanned platforms, ground control stations, and mission data pipelines; work with IT and security teams to mitigate threats.
  • Forecast consumable and spares inventory, manage procurement priorities, and control operating budgets for spare parts, maintenance contracts, and mission consumables.
  • Lead scenario-based training exercises and simulations to validate SOPs, operator proficiency, and emergency procedures; document training outcomes and remediation plans.
  • Manage customer relationships at point of delivery, responding to mission requirements, adapting missions to customer constraints, and ensuring technical performance and contractual compliance.
  • Implement performance metrics (KPI) for availability, sortie rate, mission success rate, and safety incidents; report trends and drive initiatives to improve operational efficiency.
  • Coordinate and execute joint operations with other units, agencies, or contractors ensuring interoperability, communication protocols, and shared safety procedures.
  • Act as subject matter expert for procurement and specification of new unmanned platforms and subsystem components, advising engineering and contracting teams on operational requirements and lifecycle costs.
  • Oversee environmental and site-specific mitigation planning for operations in degraded GPS areas, maritime environments, contested electromagnetic spectrum, or austere terrain.
  • Ensure data management practices for collected sensor data align with customer retention policies, data labeling standards, and downstream analytics requirements.
  • Support product development and R&D by providing operational feedback, participating in field trials, and helping prioritize fixes and features based on operational risk and mission impact.
  • Manage health and safety programs for field teams, including PPE, transportation safety, and on-site medical contingency planning.
  • Facilitate cross-functional coordination with logistics, engineering, program management, and quality teams to ensure seamless mission execution and adherence to schedule.

Secondary Functions

  • Support configuration management for vehicle software and firmware baselines; coordinate version control and rollback procedures in collaboration with engineering.
  • Maintain an operations knowledge base and training curriculum, updating content as platforms, payloads, and regulations evolve.
  • Assist in budgeting and cost tracking for field operations and lifecycle support contracts; provide input for long-term fleet sustainment planning.
  • Participate in vendor evaluations, contractor oversight, and acceptance testing for new platforms and subcontracted services.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • FAA Remote Pilot Certificate (Part 107) or equivalent national unmanned vehicle certification; experience obtaining BVLOS waivers, COAs, or national flight approvals.
  • Proficiency with ground control station (GCS) software and C2 systems (e.g., QGroundControl, Mission Planner, custom enterprise GCS).
  • Hands-on experience with flight stacks and autopilots (PX4, ArduPilot, proprietary stacks) and basic tuning/parameter adjustments.
  • Strong avionics and vehicle systems knowledge: GNSS/RTK, IMU, autopilot sensors, ESC/motor systems, CAN/serial communications, and power systems.
  • Payload integration and sensor management experience (EO/IR cameras, LiDAR, SAR, multispectral sensors) including calibration and georeferencing.
  • Experience with mission planning tools, aerodynamic/weather briefings, airspace deconfliction, and NOTAM/airspace coordination processes.
  • Familiarity with Linux-based systems, command-line troubleshooting, and basic scripting (Python, Bash) for automation and log analysis.
  • Data handling and telemetry analysis skills: downloading logs, interpreting system health metrics, and using tools to parse flight/mission data.
  • Experience with safety management systems (SMS), risk assessments (FMEA/FTA), and incident investigation methodologies.
  • Knowledgeable in cybersecurity best practices for embedded systems, secure telemetry links, and data encryption.
  • Experience with vehicle maintenance management systems (CMMS), preventive maintenance scheduling, and spare parts lifecycle management.
  • Familiarity with mission planning for surface/underwater unmanned vehicles where applicable, including mission profiles and environmental effects on sensors.

Soft Skills

  • Proven leadership and people management skills with the ability to coach, develop, and hold teams accountable.
  • Exceptional situational awareness and decisive problem-solving under operational pressure.
  • Clear, concise communicator able to present technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders and customers.
  • Strong organizational skills and the ability to prioritize competing operational demands and resource constraints.
  • Customer-focused mindset with experience managing client expectations and delivering mission outcomes.
  • Adaptability and continuous improvement orientation in fast-paced, changing technical environments.
  • Attention to detail for compliance documentation, safety checks, and post-mission reporting.
  • Collaborative mindset — able to work cross-functionally with engineering, program management, procurement, and quality teams.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Associate degree, technical diploma, or military equivalent in a related field (aviation maintenance, electronics, mechanical, or technical operations) OR proven operational experience with unmanned systems.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Computer Science, or related STEM field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Robotics / Mechatronics
  • Electrical / Electronic Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Computer Science / Software Engineering
  • Systems Engineering

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 4–10 years in unmanned vehicle operations, maintenance, or systems engineering, including hands-on mission execution.

Preferred:

  • 5+ years of direct experience operating and maintaining unmanned systems (UAV/UGV/USV) with at least 1–3 years in a supervisory or lead role.
  • Demonstrated experience with regulatory approvals and safety management systems.
  • Prior experience supporting field deployments, customer-facing missions, or defense/government contracts is highly valued.
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